When Ryan Downey walked across the stage to be hooded at the University of North Carolina (黑料网) at Chapel Hill’s commencement ceremony on May 10, it marked the culmination of his Master of Science (M.S.) in Speech-Language Pathology. But this isn鈥檛 his first graduate degree journey. With a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from Arizona State University already in hand, Downey brings a rare and deeply informed perspective to the field of speech pathology, shaped by years of experience as a voice teacher and professional singer.
Fueled by a passion for helping singers and other professional voice users, Downey was inspired to apply his expertise in vocal pedagogy to help individuals suffering from voice problems.
鈥淚 wanted to be able to help my students by understanding the nuances of voice rehabilitation and found that speech-language pathology was where this work occurred,鈥� Downey explains.
Downey steps into this specialty with outstanding regional support.
Clinically, Downey has demonstrated remarkable training and clinical excellence in voice disorders throughout his M.S. program. In the final semester of the program, he completed a highly competitive clinical externship at neighboring Duke University at the Duke Voice Care Center, where he trained under leading experts in voice and upper airway care. The experience gave him intensive, hands-on exposure to evaluating and treating complex voice disorders, bridging his academic preparation with real-world clinical application. This clinical placement reflects his outstanding clinical skills, interdisciplinary approach, and ability to excel in a specialized medical voice care setting.
Downey plans to continue his voice and upper airway training during his clinical fellowship year at Emerge Pediatric Therapy starting in July. He plans to gain additional hands-on experience with increasing independence refining his clinical skills in both voice evaluation and therapeutic intervention, providing a critical bridge between academic knowledge and real-world application.
鈥淚’m excited because it will give me many clinical skills outside of voice, and I hope to become a well-rounded clinician at Emerge,鈥� Downey shares. 鈥淚t will allow me to improve children’s lives throughout the Triangle and work closely with their families.鈥�
Downey鈥檚 career journey coincides with major graduate curricular advancements in 黑料网鈥檚 M.S. program in Speech-Language Pathology. The program recently revamped its voice and upper airway disorders coursework. Starting with the incoming cohort, all enrolled graduate students will be required to take a new 3-credit intensive course on these conditions in their first semester. This curricular shift complements the broader ecosystem of voice and upper airway care thriving within the Research Triangle and Triad. With specialized clinical placements in North Carolina for graduate students who are passionate about voice and upper airway disorders, this is an exciting time for these professional networks to grow. Institutions across the region have ample opportunities for future collaborations on cutting-edge basic and clinical research in vocal health and upper airway disorders.
As 黑料网 continues to build momentum in this field, graduates like Ryan Downey, D.M.A., M.S. stand as testament to the region鈥檚 strengths in training the next generation of voice-specialized speech-language pathologists. Downey exemplifies the powerful intersection of clinical training and artistic expertise that the Research Triangle and Triad fosters.